Police: Local pastor tried to pay for sex with teen girl
SEATTLE -- One of the pastors at Everett's First Baptist Church was arrested Tuesday night after going to meet a teenage girl he thought would have sex with him, authorities said.
Instead, he was arrested by Seattle police in an operation that included members of the vice unit.
The pastor is suspected of expecting to pay for sex with who he thought was a teenage girl, police said. The planned meeting place was a short drive from Northgate Mall.
The pastor was booked into King County Jail shortly after 8 p.m. Tuesday for investigation of commercial sex abuse of a minor. In a Wednesday afternoon bail hearing, the prosecutor wanted bail set at $75,000, but a judge ordered the pastor held on $50,000 bail. Jail records show he posted bond shortly after 7 p.m. Wednesday.
A Seattle Police detective posed as the teenage girl on the Internet, and the pastor responded to the online advertisement, according to sources familiar with the case.
Seattlepi.com is not naming the man because he has not been charged. A charging decision is expected by Friday.
The church voicemail was full, according to a recording, and could not accept messages. Seattlepi.com tried to contact the pastor by email after his release Wednesday night, but did not immediately get a response.
A 16-year-old is legally capable of consenting to having sexual contact under Washington State law, with some exceptions. But it's illegal to pay for sex at any age.
Instead, he was arrested by Seattle police in an operation that included members of the vice unit.
The pastor is suspected of expecting to pay for sex with who he thought was a teenage girl, police said. The planned meeting place was a short drive from Northgate Mall.
The pastor was booked into King County Jail shortly after 8 p.m. Tuesday for investigation of commercial sex abuse of a minor. In a Wednesday afternoon bail hearing, the prosecutor wanted bail set at $75,000, but a judge ordered the pastor held on $50,000 bail. Jail records show he posted bond shortly after 7 p.m. Wednesday.
A Seattle Police detective posed as the teenage girl on the Internet, and the pastor responded to the online advertisement, according to sources familiar with the case.
Seattlepi.com is not naming the man because he has not been charged. A charging decision is expected by Friday.
The church voicemail was full, according to a recording, and could not accept messages. Seattlepi.com tried to contact the pastor by email after his release Wednesday night, but did not immediately get a response.
A 16-year-old is legally capable of consenting to having sexual contact under Washington State law, with some exceptions. But it's illegal to pay for sex at any age.
Middle Aged Sex Predators: How are you still falling for this? Do you remember the Manti Teo story about how the girlfriend turned out to be fake? Well, if you meet a teenage girl online who wants to have sex with you...go for it!
He deserves it. It's hard to believe there are idiots still falling for this old trick. Get a clue, if you don't know who your talking too on the other end of the internet then it's most likely a cop or some wanna-be.
@fumblefacedolt They should also get charged for stupidity.
Hey 40 year old men. Fair warning: The age of consent is 16, but if the other party is 16 or 17, you must be less than 60 months in age difference.Â
@lakeviewActually that's not entirely true. Â In a nutshell the 60 month age difference only applies to persons of authority or have some sort of influence over the 16/17 year old. Â For instance a counselor or teacher of the underage individual can be no more than 60 months older.
@jb_22@lakeview It's already illegal for teachers no matter what. But you are correct for the most part. It's illegal if the state determines you are engaged in a "significant relationship" with the minor. And the state defines that in a number of ways. The law is so broad and has so much grey area that you'd have to be very careful.
%s
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So its legal to have sex at 16 but its illegal to make a fair wage from it?lol Religious laws, they need to go. Whatever happened to the good old days of concubines during Jesus's time.
@Blindman According to biblical scholars it was determined that Mary, Jesus mother was between 12 and 14 years old when she gave birth to Jesus and that Joseph was in his 50s. In todays world he would of been arrested for being a pedophile.
@fumblefacedolt @Blindman Dude, didn't you read the Bible? Mary was a virgin.Â
@JetCityBird... remember that whole "karma" thing... well... you better hope the next time you're doing something in secret that no one catches you and blasts it out in the media.
To everyone of you on here casting stones at this pastor... are you without sin??? Yeah, I think not. Be careful what you say and do to others. You will be judged the same by the Creator on your day of judgement. Â
"Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you." Matthew 7:1-2 Â
@Dawn Jones I posted the public links without posting a personal comment, judgement or any malevolence.  I am accountable for my actions, and conduct my life in such a manner.  God bless and have a wonderful day.  I appreciate your opinion.
@JetCityByrd@Dawn JonesÂ
 Philippians 2:3-4, "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than ourselves. Each of you should not look only at your own interests but also to the interests of others."
@Dawn Jones@JetCityByrd If within the city a man comes upon a maiden who is betrothed, and has relations with her, you shall bring them both out of the gate of the city and there stone them to death: the girl because she did not cry out for help though she was in the city, and the man because he violated his neighbors wife.
Deuteronomy 22: 23-24Â
@Dawn Jones That sure is a scary story, can you tell me some more? Please!!!
At least he didn't want to dance!
This Pastor has nothing to worry about, look at Eddie Long's comeback. http://youtu.be/AVkoQHCXSK8
This is a good reminder to Christians not to put their leaders on a pedestal, they are just as liable to sin as everyone else.
This guy would not have found the online ad if he hadn't been looking for it. Since he was looking for it, what has he been doing behind the scenes up to now?
@Willow It's not Christians who put their pastors on pedestals, it's the non-Christians who do. True Christians put their trust in Christ and we continue to love and encourage our brothers and sisters when they fall, because we ALL sin.... now don't we.
@Dawn Jones @Willow Sin is a man made concept.Â
@lakeview @Dawn Jones @Willow "It's not Christians who put their pastors on pedestals"
I'm sure Casey Treat agrees with you while flying in his helicopter between his mega-churches every Sunday.
You refer to him 6 times as "the pastor" and one time as "the man". Get over yourselves already, KOMO. Once is enough (and you kinda covered that in the title). If he'd been a barber or an accountant or probably even a teacher, you would have just referred to him as "the man". No, actually, you wouldn't, because you wouldn't have considered it newsworthy in the first place. Scummy behavior is scummy behavior no matter who does it. And do you really think we're all so dumb as to have pastors on pedestals anyway?
@kitsapuser I know a number of people who put their pastors on a pedestal, it's not a mindset only found in religion, either. Some people do not like to think critically, instead they put their loyalty in anyone whose (espoused) views they agree, whether it's politics, religion, or any other area in life.
@kitsapuser Yes, I do believe a significant portion of the population puts religion and religious leaders up on pedestals. Which does, in fact, make them incredibly dumb.
@kitsapuser Maybe they should call him "the poon-pocketing-pervert pastor"...or "the eater-of-youthful-juices"...or "Zeus-descended"....I like that last one....
First and foremost its not entrapment. Â If he knowingly went to that place knowing she is a minor than he's breaking the law. And hiding behind religion is the oldest defense in the world. Â ie the catholic church
At least that's a step up from underage boys!
Why post this story if you are not going to name the pastor?
Probably because no charges have been filled..........
Disappointed???
@EASTSIDE 1Â A lot of people are named before charged. And why not wait to post the story then, with all the facts.
More biblical family values.
http://ingress.kingcounty.gov/inmatelookup/InterimResults.aspx
I just LOVE how some people on this forum are claiming entrapment. Do you people even know what entrapment means?
entrapment:Â a defense that claims the defendant would not have broken the law if not tricked into doing it by law enforcement officials
The pastor contacted them in hopes of PAYING for sex with a MINOR. How was he tricked into doing so? He WASN'T. Just another POS who has made his own bed and now he has to lie in it.
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@JetCityByrd Wonder if he had so many 'mission trips' to help spread his seed into the bodies of teenage girls. Hiding behind the religious facade often lurks a pervity perverted perv.
When the Everett PD shut down the bikini baristas, this sort of thing is bound to happen.
The church website has pictures of 4 pastors. Wonder which one is chasing jailbait? http://www.fbc-everett.org/staff1.php
@BuddyHolly Probably the one that has since been taken down!
This is truly classic.Â
Not to justify or validate what the guy did, but it sure looks like entrapment from my side of the fence.
@RoyOtis How do you figure? Do you know what entrapment means?
@Tattooed_Angel@RoyOtisa trap was set for someone to fall into.  Â
from the story: A Seattle Police detective posed as the teenage girl on the Internet, and the pastor responded to the online advertisement, according to sources familiar with the case
 how about the police arresting people for committing crimes instead of hoping to?
@RoyOtis @Tattooed_Angel Roy, you don't know what entrapment is, clearly. Hopefully you take 5 minutes and look it up.Â
@RoyOtis Would you prefer he find a real ad for sex with a teenage girl? Do you really think he wouldn't have looked if the police had not posted an ad online?
@RoyOtis @Tattooed_Angel I don't know about you but I wouldn't fall into a trap with underage girls as bait unless I was looking for underage girls.
ah the stench of holy righteousness....
Doh!
That is too funny. I wonder if the preacher walked in the kitchen with condoms and alcohol and then some Chris Hanson look alike walks in with a TV camera. Then the preacher runs out on the lawn and gets tackled by a pack of policemen.
The 'To catch a predator' shows were done with tact. They hung out in chat room for teens waiting for some perv to come along. The bumbling SPD tried their hand at such a sting but went about it the wrong way. I would love to see their ad they posted because I don't see how the SPD could post an illegal ad and think these charges will stick. You will get off this time Pastor but now everyone is on to you. Move to Detroit.
I don't understand how you think this pastor will "get off" from being charged this time? Do you think he would not have been looking had the police not posted an ad?
@traceywo The Pastor would definitely be looking one way or the other. However, the SPD posted an ad, most likely for escort services, but we probably won't know the details of the ad until the trial. The ad in my opinion is entrapment. The SPD advertised, unlike the TV show where the perverts sought out their victims.
Stay classy religion.
@Sheridan...your kid has a greater chance of being molested by a teacher in a public school...are you going to now condemn them also? I highly doubt it!
@sometimesright Hardly. Nice try, though. The religious community wins that contest by a mile.Â
@IQhikerÂ
DT is unable to cite sources for any of the facts DT spews.
DT is stuck in a nexus of hyperbole and cannot escape.
DT's reality status is terminal.
@DT @sometimesright Hate to burst your bubble DT:
http://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/research/pubs/misconductreview/report.pdf
2002 US Department of Education report on Sex Abuse in public schools. Note while sifting through it the 159 abuse cases by coaches in Washington state over a ten year period. Please provide a link to your statistics of the religious leaders winning "that contest by a mile"
@Sheridan The only thing that religion has to do with this is that the criminal used his position to gain his own perverted agenda. I suppose a teacher that does the same thing would draw your criticism of the profession? I think not, which by the way, makes you a bigot.
@komoispropaganda @Sheridan no, but it would surely draw my criticism of THAT particular pastor/ teacher using his or her position of trust to take advantage of a minor. Of course not all pastors/teachers violate that trust. The majority are caring people who are called to make a difference, but those that chose to abuse that trust should be prepared to accept the responsibility and the consequences for doing so....
@Sheridan What does this have to do with religion? Troll somewhere else.
@Bornhere @Sheridan Gee, I don't know. A person who is EMPLOYED (tax free by the way) to espouse morals, and to spend their time telling others how to live morally, and presents themselves as some moral standard, gets busted trying to buy sex from a teen girl?  It's not like he was a car mechanic, whose job is to keep your car going.  The pious religious guys are always the ones caught with young women or men, or animals.Â
Every profession has its bad apples, it doesn't mean all religious leaders are bad.